BigZigBlue

I have heard using finger nail polish works as well....I am not to sure about this but I am eager to find out if this actually works!! Luckily with my shin guards are from honigs which use the hard plastic snaps!

i will conform that statement....i have to get the athletic cut of both plate and base so i dont have an "uh-oh" in the field or on the dish....ripping your pants is never exciting.

yeah the people werent that bad up here..just wished we couldve played some ball!

I had both base and plate patent leather and decided to change this year when fellow officals stayed on me about them saying "we arnt out here working hoops!!" I changed my mind because I wanted the reeboks.

hahaha....

I'm part of an association in South Louisiana and we are in the process of deliberating on joining our fellow umps. At our meeting on Monday night we had a heated debate on whether or not we should discuss it then or wait until next Monday when all of the board is present bc many wanted to address the issue immediately Cooler head prevailed and we will also address the issue of joining the strike at our meeting on Monday night. I also worked my way through LSU calling baseball and football games and this will be my ninth year calling baseball. I have called just about every level w/ the exception of HS, but this will be my first year calling HS due to the lack of myself having gainful employment right now. You are part of an association and should do what the majority decide. I was laid off Dec 23rd and still have NO source of income. However, if we decide to strike, I will strike. Don't be that guy Miller good to see there are some Louisiana boys on here!!!! We had a meeting Monday to discuss a special meeting the basketball guys had with some of the principals down in BR. The basketball guys liked what they heard and are back to work...meaning we are back to work!! We also had a very heated discussion about what was going on. Also I have made that decision to stand behind the officials of the state because of me NOW knowing what a bother hood we NOW have as a state...also TASO (Texas) and the Arkansas Officials have stood behind us by declining to work games in the state...... Miller how much snow and ice did ya'll get...up in north La. we got ice about 1/4 inch thick....

fellers no harm down here....i see what ump45 is talking bout..he has seen guys get screwed bad by guys who worked ....dunn thanks for the support but no since in calling ump45 an idiot...i learned a ton about what the botherhood means because im still the green horn (on age) at 22 and didnt know how strong WE ARE!!

well gentlemen the weight is off my shoulders because we are working!!!! They reach a deal that I don't have all the details yet.....So this topic is dead lol...MSTAYLOR....those jobs were on my mind but a last resort for me.

Warren you are correct on the officials not being under contract by the state. We are independent contractors for them. Also today is a big meeting in Baton Rouge to get the basketball stuff settled on pay which if they like the plan then we will umpire...crossing my fingers they (the principals) accept the offer that is going to be made. The major problem is what officials will cover what games because Louisiana does not have a ton of umpires as a whole. We just have enough to cover when everyone can work...thats why we travel around the state doing HS tourneys to help the other associations out with games...the associations are leaving it up to each guy if they want to work or not.......MY STAND IS THIS GUYS!!!! I WILL NOT WORK UNLESS I SEE NO OTHER WAY TO GET MONEY FOR COLLEGE!!

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why do we officiate???? why do we choose a hobby or job that has confrontations with very angry people??? Because of what he posted.....because the game is so good to many of us we feel like we must give back to it some how...I coach football because I love the game and it has been a major part of who I am..The same goes for why I umpire baseball..I wasn't any good at playing baseball but I love it and what it means to America and many,many of our future leaders and the legacy of America...

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you might be okay....but don't be surprise if you take one off the right side of the mask or collar bone area (if you are working the slot).

well I pride myself on making the right calls and being consistent behind the plate because that's what the game wants and needs.

Well me and the partner got by with one then lol. Didn't affect the game at all because next pitch was a dribbler to the pitcher and play at first base to make the third out of the inning. Appreciate ya'll helping me defuse the confusion I had last night. Sorry for getting it wrong i pretty sure I seem like an idiot on that, but never had it happen to me with the ball being fair.

what about DIXIE??? I know what it is for OBR and FED......i guess we got by with one and the league director which is also the dixie district director is wrg because I asked him and he said we did right.

Guys I want to make sure that my ruling and call is correct on the situation I had tonight on a play I had during a Junior High game. B1 squares around to bunt with back foot directly behind (towards catcher) the point on the plate. Makes contact and ball is fair. I signal delayed dead ball and verbally say ," Batter is out , foot out of box." Meanwhile R1 is on second base and R1 advances to third on the bunt. NOW, no one complained or questioned the call (except coach wanting to know where B1 had stepped at. But my partner asked me in the middle of the inning should we have sent R1 back to the base that was occupied? I said no because it was a DELAYED DEAD BALL situation and that R1 can be put out on the play since the ball was fair........Just let me know if we blew the call or not!

guys I think the focus of getting to the right spot at the right time to make the right call is a huge factor in this trend that even I am having to deal with on my own...also appearance meaning what you look like when you walk on the field. How we dress and what we look like is essential to the game. We have to be the police out there and do you ever see a ill-dressed cop on duty???? NO! Had a Louisiana hall of fame coach told me once when I first started to call at the age of 13 that the first thing a coach looks at are the shoes. He meant this by if you, the umpire take time to clean and polish you shoes then you care about the game and you take umpiring serious...and I took his advice and I am 22 and the some of other guys in my Assoc. and the umpires my age around my local area (except James C.) will not and can not grasp why I take umpiring as serious as I do.

ight now you fellers! In three days I took four foul balls in my CP. Didn't feel a darn thing. I got a Plat. and yes its a little bulky but thats what I want when I have a pitcher that is pitching in high 80s to mid 90s. I also have the diamond iX3 that I only use when its 90 degrees or above...cause down here in Louisiana when its humid and hot..its bad guys more worried bout passing out than taking a pitch or foul ball. Plus I am not worried bout getting hit because its part of the game to me. I got a scare that are laces on my left bicep from a kid that is throwing at LSU (last name of Garcia). But yes it sucks getting beamed but I'm so tuned into the game I do not feel it until after the game. But back to the topic..I see the Gold for more of a smaller/narrow chested umpire...and the plat for guys like me that are real wide in the shoulders and chest area.

Guys, this is a story that is going on throughout the state of Louisiana. I don't do this for the money, I use the money I make for my college tuition gentlemen...this is more for our "hoop" guys but will play into baseball season (which scrimmages are next week). I love calling the game and I want to call. But it may not be real good for those guys who cross the line. ~ Refused raise, high school officials threaten work stoppage By Marq Mitcham Bastrop Daily Enterprise Posted Jan 29, 2011 @ 04:21 AM BASTROP — It’s the worst-case scenario, but the final whistle by a certified official may have already been blown for the Louisiana High School Athletic Association school year. Dismayed over being refused a modest pay raise Friday afternoon, high school sports officials throughout the state are threatening a work stoppage starting next week. Principals at the LHSAA convention voted overwhelmingly against a pay increase for officials Friday afternoon in Baton Rouge. Pay for Louisiana basketball officials rates dead last in the nation, while compensation for officials in other sports ranks in the lower 35 percent according to Brian Greenwood of Bastrop, president of the Louisiana High School Officials Association. “Today, there were no winners,†Greenwood said Friday night during a telephone interview while en route back to Bastrop from Baton Rouge. Three officials working Friday night’s Franklin Parish-Bastrop basketball games declined to comment on the record about the possibility of a work stoppage. However, a baseball umpire contacted by the Enterprise said emphatically, “It’s going to happen.†As president of the state’s officiating organization, Greenwood is neither encouraging or discouraging a walkout. But he is pessimistic about the chances of an agreement being reached by Tuesday. (Schools throughout Louisiana typically play district basketball games on Tuesday and Friday nights). “We are not advocating a work stoppage. We can’t tell our officials to stop working or to go to work,†said Greenwood on the LHSOA’s position. “I would say in my estimation that there is a strong possibility that there will be officials all over the state who will refuse to work varsity games next week.†When asked how long the officials are planning to hold out, Greenwood responded, “Until the situation is rectified.†Unlike most states, Louisiana basketball officials are paid under a three-tier system, with certified officials receiving the highest pay at $31 per game, followed by approved at $29 per game and registered at $28 per game. The proposed pay increase called for a $9 per game raise for certified and a $3 increase for approved. Had the raise been granted, Louisiana basketball officials would still have been paid well below the national average of $65 per game. The pay scale for football officials stands at $75 per game for certified, $65 for approved and $55 for registered. Officials were asking for an increase of $10 per game for certified members and $5 each for approved and registered. “The pay raises we were seeking would have cost Bastrop High School $250 for the entire football season and that’s if they were using all certified officials,†Greenwood said, using the Class 4A school as an example. Baseball and softball officials were seeking a $10 per game raise. (All of the above figures are based on varsity games). Louisiana officials last received a raise in 2007, Greenwood said, adding that it was the officials first pay hike “in 15 or 20 years.†Greenwood did not have an exact vote count, but said, “It wasn’t even close. I was very disappointed and shocked by the outcome because the principals of this state knew what was at stake. “It’s such a small amount of pay that we are talking about.†In an effort to organize the various officials associations throughout the state, the LHSOA was formed two years ago. Tied to Friday’s pay increase proposal, all officials would be required to attend one of two statewide football clinics and one of eight basketball clinics. “A mechanism for improving officiating went out the window with the pay raises,†Greenwood said. Meanwhile, the threat of an immediate statewide work stoppage among officials is a reality. “Officials in this state are mad,†Greenwood said. If the threat of a work stoppage is carried out, LHSAA member schools will see just how mad the officials are starting next week.

Its a must to do such as eyes moving with the pitch. It sounds hard to do but it is obtainable. It allows you to see if a check swing easier or anything that is happening in front of you that you wouldn't be able to see while your head is moving with the pitch. This is many of the reasons why you MUST track the pitch with your eyes.

Atta Boy UMP81!!!!!!

Yeah I did it this afternoon..threw the pad away because I wont need it. I am able to what I need to do know since I have games all day tomorrow since weather has been bad earlier this week....Baseball has officially started for me!

I know coaches, parents, and even players wants us to change our "ring ups" from our regular strike call. This way there will be something to signal that its a strike three by just not what we say (crowd noise). But destroying a kid is horrible..I do the same punch out but with a real softer tone. I know a guy that does the leslie neilson ring up...moon walk and all...baseball is not about the umpire its bout the game and fans are not there to see the umpire..they are there to see the game...etc..etc..